An Israeli woman held hostage in Gaza has revealed the sexual violence she suffered at the hands of Hamas terrorists after being kidnapped during the 7 October attacks.
Ilana Gritzewsky, 31, was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz and taken to Gaza, where she was held for 55 days before being released during a temporary ceasefire in November 2023. Her partner, Matan Zangauker, 25, remains in captivity.
In a newly published account in the New York Times, Gritzewsky described being sexually assaulted by Hamas fighters while being transported on a motorcycle. She said she was groped, burnt by the exhaust pipe, and eventually lost consciousness. When she woke up, she found herself half-naked in a derelict building surrounded by armed men.
Her top was pulled up and her trousers were down. Unsure of what had happened while she was unconscious, Gritzewsky told her captors she was on her period, something she believes spared her from further assault. “I don’t think I have ever been so thankful for my period,” she said.
She was later moved between several locations, including civilian homes, a hospital, and an underground tunnel. She was denied medication for a chronic digestive disease and interrogated about her past service in the Israeli army. Two captors who identified themselves as a maths teacher and a lawyer stole her jewellery.
Matan Zangauker (left) and Ilana Gritzewsky were abducted from their Kibbutz Nir Oz home by Hamas on 7 October 2023. Photo from Gritzewsky’s Instagram.
One of them, she said, hugged her while pointing a gun and told her he would not let her be released in a hostage deal because he wanted to marry her and have children.
After her release, doctors discovered she had suffered a broken hip. Her therapist, Avigail Poleg-Dvir, confirmed that Gritzewsky had spoken about the abuse during sessions.
Her testimony comes amid growing international scrutiny over Hamas’s use of sexual violence during and after the 7 October massacre. A UN report published last year confirmed that hostages had been subjected to rape and sexual torture. Fellow hostage Amit Soussana, released at the same time as Gritzewsky, previously described being forced to perform sex acts at gunpoint.
Since returning home, Gitzewsky has become a vocal campaigner for the release of the remaining hostages, joining anti-government protests alongside Zagauker’s mother. She said she struggles with survivor’s guilt but is determined to use her voice to help others.
“I live with the question of why me and not them. I have no answer,” she said. “But if I am out, it’s a sign that God wanted me to raise my voice to help those who are alive gain their freedom and bring back the dead for a proper burial.”
She also recalled seeing footage of her partner, released by Hamas in December. “It wasn’t my Matan,” she said. “He was thin, with frightened eyes, screaming from within to be saved. It broke me, but it also gave me hope. He survived.”
